Page 55 of Safe
“We have a serious problem, Alex. I’m freaking the fuck out.” Panic and shortness of breath riddled the words as I said them.
There were no more jokes. Alex’s voice became sharp and focused. “What happened? Is she okay?”
“I messed up, man. I planned this big surprise for her at a zoo, five hours away... There were penguins... She started questioning how I managed it all, and she found out about the money. Alex, she took off in the car and left me here.”
“Okay, calm down. Get a rental, and get back. And fast.”
“No, Alex, you don’t understand! She has the car, no phone, and no idea Landon’s coming for her. I didn’t tell her.”
My chest heaved, and as I admitted I hadn’t told her, I was relieved Alex wasn’t standing in front of me. He would have punched me in the face without thinking twice about it.
Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control.
“God damn it, Cody! What the fuck were you thinking? Why wouldn’t you warn her?”
“I didn’t want her panicking. I just wanted her to feel safe. But now she thinks I’m only interested in her for the money. I told her I love her, and it didn’t even matter.”
“Hey!” Alex cut through my rambling, not just yelling, but unraveling, “I don’t give two shits about your fucking love life right now. Mysisteris in danger. Get a car, and I’ll alert the police department down there. I’ll have them stationed at the house to wait for her.”
The line went dead, and now Alex had also left me stranded. A cab would take ages to arrive, and I couldn't afford any delays. Desperate, I rifled through my wallet, then dashed to the gate where the security guard had been earlier, but it was empty now. Panic was taking over faster than I could think, but I forced myself to focus. Retracing my steps through thezoo, I made it back to the penguin exhibit just as the zookeeper finished locking up.
“Please,” I tried to get the words out, but they stumbled out almost incoherent between gasps and labored breaths, “I’ll give you $1,000 as collateral if you let me borrow a car. I promise I’ll get it back to you tomorrow. It’s an emergency.”
The zookeeper disregarded me with a mix of incredulity and disdain. “Are you out of your mind? I’d lose my job.”
As we were walking back toward the entrance, I had an idea. I pulled out the cell phone, redialed Alex’s number, put it on speakerphone, and held it out to her, hoping it would change her mind.
“He’s a detective. Just give me one second, okay?” She hesitated, giving me a look like I’d lost my damn mind before sighing in compliance.
“What, mother fucker?”
“Alex, please tell this kind lady that there is an emergency going on and you need her to let me borrow a car, which I offered $1,000 collateral for until I bring it back tomorrow.” I handed the phone to her. A few moments later, and without saying a word, she handed me the phone back and unclipped her radio from her shorts.
“Security,” she looked me dead in the eyes, angered and annoyed, “Let this gentleman take the car up front.” She reached into her pocket and handed me a set of keys. “It’smycar. I want it back.”
Without a second thought, I hugged the zookeeper in gratitude, snatched the keys from her, and sprinted back to the front gate. Just beyond it sat a blue Rav4, parked near where we had left our car earlier. The guard opened the gate, and I jumped into the driver's seat as adrenaline fueled my desperate need to beat Danielle to the house.
The drive was a blur as I drove speeds I didn’t even know a Rav4 could go. The silence on the road was imposing, but my spiraling thoughts filled the quiet space. I was terrified of what might happen to Danielle while guilt ravaged my insides over how I’d screwed up with the person that I knew I couldn’t live without. She deserved more than to feel like a fucking obligation, to be tethered to a lie.
I had accepted the money not because she felt like a burden to me, but in hopes that I could do things to show her how she deserved to be taken care of, even ifwehad never happened. Without a job right now, I couldn’t have done it on my own.
But the reality is that no matter how I tried to justify it, I had betrayed her trust, hiding the truth in the name of protection. A stupid call considering she had damn near lost her life because of Landon’s lies. I knew the odds of getting the chance to explain any of it to her now were low, and I doubt she would have believed me anyway. After driving into the early evening, I was close to the house. I was about ten minutes away when my phone rang.
“Alex?”
“We have a fucking problem. Police went to the house, and Danielle wasn’t there. Warren and I are on our way down there now.”
“Fuck! She couldn’t have stopped anywhere. She has no money. Where the fuck is she?”
I don’t even know what Alex said after that. Everything became a blur as I calculated how much time Landon would need to get to Grand Junction. He had at least two hours on us, if not more, depending on how long Thomas had waited to fess up, and it wouldn’t take more than four hours to get here by plane. Add in the five hours Danielle had to drive to get back. It was probable that he was already there. The only things I had goingfor me were the fact that he had no idea what car she’d be in and that we were on the outskirts of town.
All of this was like a bad nightmare I kept hoping to wake up from. I didn’t even go to the house right away. I didn’t want to go back to the house, full of cops, but emptier than it had ever felt. I drove around town hoping I would see Danielle, but after an hour, I saw nothing, not even the car. I had no choice but to go back, talk to the police, and start from scratch.
I reached the house a little after six, my veins still pumping adrenaline, keeping me wide awake despite the pure exhaustion that was setting in. Two Grand Junction Police Department cars were stationed out front.
As I climbed the stairs, I readied myself for the barrage of questions I was bound to face. The door stood ajar, its broken frame a telltale sign that Alex had told them to break the fucking door down, trying to find her.
The next hour that unfolded was surreal and disjointed. I sat on the sofa as officers filtered in and out, asking what felt like a ridiculous stream of questions—details about Danielle's appearance, any photos I could provide, the car’s license plate, and whether she had money or a phone. All of this, they should have already heard from Alex. I couldn’t help but wonder if he left it all to me as some sort of punishment.
